


Gamerella

by Silvers_whispers



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Action & Romance, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Cinderella Fusion, Cheesy romance, Cinderella Elements, Fencing, Galas, Hinata Shouyou & Kageyama Tobio Friendship, Hinata Shouyou is Sunshine, Kenma Needs A Hug, Kozume Kenma & Kuroo Tetsurou Friendship, Kozume Kenma is Bad at Feelings, Kuroo Tetsurou is a Good Friend, M/M, Minor Character Death, Multi, fairytale AU, kenhina - Freeform, only at the beginning, side characters, slight fantasy, stepfather oikawa
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 09:13:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29806173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silvers_whispers/pseuds/Silvers_whispers
Summary: In a land far away there was a shy boy named Kenma. While he was quiet and shy he had the sweetest heart, beloved by his father, mother, and all that met him. But unfortunately his father passed away and his mother remarried. Soon she has to leave to go take care of her ailing mother for a few months. But when her ship get destroyed her trip becomes much longer then she had intended. She didn't know how long it would take for her to return and with that news Kenma's life became a living hell. All he has is his best friend Kuroo, the cats that live with him in the attic and his puzzles. When his world takes a dramatic turn with the meeting of a ginger haired boy who returned his lost key. From that day on a friendship starts growing with every adventure- until it grows into something more. But there will be plenty of bumps along the way that makes their journey uncertain.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kozume Kenma, Shimizu Kiyoko/Tanaka Ryuunosuke
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

A long time ago in a land full of green rolling hills, thick lushes forests with crystal rivers, fields of flowers and high mountains. With a busy town full of shops and stalls that sold everything from red silk shoes to fresh raspberries. And standing above the town was a beautiful white castle with blue and orange flags. Something straight out of a story book everybody reads as a child. And sitting at the top of one of those lush hills was a white pebble drive that led up to a beautiful manor, a large garden full of exotic flowers of every color.

The sound of laughter echoed from under a large apple tree, where a young boy with chocolate hair to the chin was running away from his father. His father was handsome with rough blonde hair and a thin beard, but he had dark bags under his eyes that he tried to hide from his son. "I'm going to get you!"

"No!" The boy squealed, turning towards the porch where his mother sat sipping some tea with a book. Her long brown tresses pulled into an elegant bun, golden eyes glanced at her husband and son- heart warmed at the sight of her two favorite boys. "Mama! Mama help me!" The boy ducked behind her purple dress and dug his head into the silk ribbon. He loved his mother silk dresses since they were soft on his skin, but this time it wasn't his saving grace. "I'm sorry my little kitten. But i cant help you this time." Kenma gasped as his father came behind him and scooped him up from under his elbows, "I've got you!" Kenma squealed as he fell onto the grass and his father tickled his stomach. His soft laughter grew louder the more his stomachs was attacked, "Ah! Stop! Please!"

"I'll save you Kenma!" A voice called. A young boy with jet black hair that was stuck up like a chicken, with a stick in hand he ran up the hill. Kuroo was his next door neighbor- although technically he lived like a mile away- and was Kenma's best friend. Being the only kid nearby they were super close, and when Kenma's parents would leave for work he'd stay over at Kuroo's. "Kuroo help!" The boy tackled Kenma's father giving enough time for the smaller boy to escape. He took off to his favorite apple tree with Kuroo close behind, behind was a secret ladder that led up to a small platform. The tree wasn't big enough for a whole treehouse so Kenma's father built a platform with a small rail right in the center so they were surrounded by the shaded branches and the sweet apples.

They climbed to the top and pulled up the ladder just in time. The older man leaned on the tree to catch his breath. "He cant get us up here!" Kuroo laughed, jumping up onto one of the branches and grabbed two apples. "Read anything interesting? What about that story your Mama was going to read you?"

"It was amazing. There was a prince in a seaside castle and a beautiful girl who worked as a maid. They were so made for each other, and there was a dragon!" Kenma loved fairy tales as much as he loved apple pie- he had a whole bookshelf full of them that his parents would bring back from their travels. His rambling was cut off when they heard violent couching from below, "Takami!" His mother's voice yelled as she came running into the yard. "Papa?" The two boys looked over the side of the rail, Kenma's father was on his hands and knee's coughing violently. "Papa! Are you alright?" Kenma scrambled down the ladder to his fathers side. Hearing his son's footsteps his father covered his mouth so the boy didn't see the small dribbled of blood going down his chin. "I'm alright son, just a bit out of breath and with all the pollen in the air just made my throat itch." He managed to cough out.

But while Kenma may be young, he was anything but stupid. He'd read a enough books to know his father was sick and was trying to hide it from him to protect him. So Kenma didn't say anything as he helped his father up and into the chair his mother was previously sitting on. "Papa, would you like my apple? Or some water?"

"Water would be lovely." Kenma ran off to the kitchen to ask for a glass. Kuroo pretended to follow but hid behind one of the bushes, "It's getting worse dear, please you need to see the doctor again."

"You know they wont be able to do anything else. We've already been three times. We can only hope it will pass." Speaking in hushed tones watching the back door for their sone to return. Kuroo was no fool either, his aunt had recently gotten sick so he knew the signs. "Kuroo. We know your there." He jumped at the voices, peering around the bush. "Are you going to tell him?"

"I think he's starting to figure it out. Kuroo can i ask you a favor?"

"Of course sir." Kuroo walked up to the man who took his hand. Kuroo felt how the man's hands shaked but didn't comment on it. "I need you to be there for Kenma if I don't make it."

"I promise."


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenma and his father have a valued talk about the future after a game of chess.

A year passed and Kenma's father's condition got worse and worse, to the point on a cold winter day where they would usually spend the day making snowmen and having snowball fights, instead he was stuck in bed with a cloth on his head. He'd grown pale and weak, barely able to hold his own spoon on his own. And with every passing day Kenma became more and more quiet, Kuroo and his Mother were worried. Kenma would sleep by his father's bad as much as possible, play chess, or read to him. He'd also started doing a small hand held box puzzle he had gotten as a gift. The object of the puzzle was to open the box by arranging the picture on top.

Kenma had always enjoyed puzzles and he'd beg his parents to bring him one back from their travels. But the first time he got a box puzzle he was in love. He could carry it around in his pocket to do when he was bored or didn't want to talk to people. Kuroo could do a few but was often stumped after five minutes, same when they would play chess- he'd gotten better but Kenma was still way ahead of him. It was his mothers favorite game so they often played on days when it was to cold or hot to go outside. They always joked that Kenma got his mother's brains considering how smart and observant the seven year old was.

So he sat across from his father on the bed with a chess board in between them, Kenma played his usual black pieces that were made of glass while his father played the white. Kenma was two moves from getting checkmate and his father was panicking. "You've been playing with your mother to much, i cant beat you anymore."

"Well you can still fence better then me." That was one of his father's passions. He was skilled with the blade- he and Kuroo would spare all the time on hot summer afternoons in the back garden. They accidentally cut a branch off of his mother's rose bush. . . They weren't allowed to spar for a month and had to take care of her garden instead. Kuroo almost killed her lilies and was stuck to watering duty. His sword was displayed on the wall, pure silver hilt wrapped in red silk with a gold tassel, the guard was an intricate design of swirling vines with gold flowers, and the blade was perfectly polished and sharpened. It sheath was made of the same red silk with designs of gold vines. "That sword will be yours one day, or maybe you'll give it to your Prince Charming."

"You think so? That I'll find him one day." Kenma's father smiled softly, he knocked over his king in defeat and moved the bored to open his arms. Kenma crawled into his arms and rested his dread on his silk pajamas. "My dearest Kenma. I know that one day you will find your Prince Charming and he will sweep you away to your happiness. And even if. . . If im not there to see it in person. I want you to know that i will always love you and watch over you. No matter where you go i was will always be there with you in here." He tapped his son's heart and pulled him under the covers to sit with him. He hummed softly soothing his son to sleep silent tears running down his cheeks.

That was the last thing his father had ever said to Kenma.

The funeral was three days later when the snow had fully melted. They buried him under the apple tree's shade, all gathered in black. Kenma hadn't spoke aside from crying into either his mother or Kuroo's arms, the wails of his grieving mother making it even worse. They each placed their favorite flower from the garden, his mother placed a pure red rose, Kuroo three small daises, and Kenma a yellow carnation. He also placed the white chess piece on his father's chest, the knight. It was his favored piece.

He broke down into gushing tears as they covered the casket with dirt, collapsing into Kuroo's arms since his legs couldn't hold him. The other white knight of the set clutched in his small hand as he screamed out heart breaking sobs. He begged for his father to come back, to let this all be a nightmare and he'd wake up to find his dad waking him for the day in the garden. He wished and wished.

But not all wishes come true no matter how much they want it to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know these first chapters have been short but i promise they'll get longer soon! Let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nine years has passed since the death of his father, but it seems his mother has met someone new. And Kenma isn't sure how he feels about him.

Nine years passed and kenma grew taller- although compared to most he was pretty short. Kuroo grew like a weed and towered over the brunette in only a couple of years, he just loved to flaunt it by putting Kenma's puzzles on high shelves. (Only thing he got in return was a kick in the shins.) Kenma has grown quiet and introverted over the years, moving farther and farther away from human interaction aside from Kuroo and his mother. His intelligence continued to grow as he spent hours in his library, puzzles solved faster and he could beat his mother in chess. He kept his brown hair cut off right at his chin, the way his father had said liked it. He was content with his simple life, everything was fine.

But his mother had grown lonely, the more she watched her son grow without a father to guide him broke her heart. Then one day while she was out shopping she met a man at the docks. He was tall and handsome, he was a gentlemen, gracefully picking up her things when he accidentally made her drop her basket. He offered to carry it for her in return and they ended up spending the day together. Oikawa Tooru had charmed her heart. He too had recently lost his wife leaving his two beloved sons motherless, and was in search of a lovely women to help heal his heart. All while he offered her a rose with a kiss on the hand, hoping to meet for a cup of coffee some time soon so they could get to know each other better. And his mother couldn't refuse his smile or request. 

Or that is what he had told her. 

Oikawa Tooru was a heartbreaker with a heart spoiled and rotten. He cared only for the women's riches, having heard of her husbands death years before. And he took his chance when he saw her wondering the stalls. His last wife didn't die, she left him after years of manipulation taking all her money with her, leaving him and his sons with nothing. But this women was his key to get it all back. And five months later he asked her to marry him under the orange sunset to which she agreed. So he and his two sons, Amustu and Suguru moved into the manor much to Kenma's dismay. 

Amutsu Miya from his first marriage was tall with well combed blonde hair and broad shoulders. He was terrible selfish and rude, completely content with lying or using force to get whatever he wanted. But he was lazy and didn't care, he'd rather just play poker and smoke all day in his pajamas. Suguru Daishou from his second marriage was even worse, black oily hair forcefully layed over his thin eyes. He was spoiled and entitled. His favorite thing was going into town and terroringing the kids or gossiping terrible about people he found inferior- which was practically everyone. Terrorizing Kenma when their new stepmother wouldn't see became their new favorite hobby.

Kenma hated his new stepfamily, his new stepfather especially- he couldn't help but get terrible feelings from him and his two sons. But his mother was happy and he didn't want to spoil it for her as she had sacrificed so much for him. So he kept his mouth shut and head down, trying his best to be kind to his new family. Kuroo on the other hand wanted to knock out their perfect teeth the minute they met, Kenma had to hold him back after Suguru made a comment on his hair looking like a duck butt. So Kenma tried to stay around his mother as much as possible since they didn't pick on him then. They had to look good in front of her or she'd get suspicious.

But one morning during their daily game of chess Kenma got some terrible news. "Kenma darling, i received a letter from your grandmother. She's fallen i'll and asked if i would come to see her since she lives all alone. Unfortunately i will have to leave tonight to make it to a ship in time to take me." Kenma heard his world crash. His grandmother lived in a kingdom across the sea, the journey over took a least a weeks. She used to come visit all the time when he was a child, but after his grandfather died and she got older she stopped making the trips. Kenma gave out a shaky breath, "H-how long will you be gone?"

"It should only be a few weeks- a month or two at most!" She stood from her chair and kneeled in front of him. "I know it will be hard to leave you so suddenly and with Tooru still being somewhat of a stranger to you. But you are so strong i know you can handle it and look out for this place while I'm gone. And maybe while im gone something amazing might happen." She cupped his cheek in her soft hand and kissed his head. "I promise I'll come back as soon as i can. And I'll bring you back something special."

"A-alright. Just hurry home quickly."

"I will. I love you more than anything in the world my kitten. Now I believe you were about to have me in check." They returned to their game but Kenma couldn't help but feel he was being watched with an unhappy glare.

Later that day as the sun was starting to set Kenma was helping his mother place her bags into the back of their carriage for Mr. Naoi to take her to the docks. She was biding her son, stepsons and Oikawa goodbye, "Oh mother dearest, could you get me a green leather coat while you're away?"

"Of course Suguru. Anything for you Atsumu?"

"A gold watch would be nice." He gave her a hug that was clearly forced. "I'll see what i can do. Goodbye Tooru, I'll be back soon." Oikawa brought her in for a kiss that lasted way to long in Kenma's opinion, so he turned away to pet the horse pulling their carriage. "I do hope so darling. Please send my regards to your mother that she gets better soon. It was a shame we couldn't have met."

"I will." She gave Kenma a last hug and a kiss on the forehead before she got in the carriage. She waved as she drove away, with small tears in her eyes as she watched her son grow smaller in the distance, waving back with a small frown. It was always the hardest part of her trips was the leaving. But he kept waving until she was fully out of sight, praying to the wind that her journey would go well.When the carriage was nothing but a black dot in the distance Oikawa and his sons one happy smiles turned smug. Their eyes turned to the smaller boy who was still waving, "Boys, go ahead and get started inside. I'll be up there in a moment."

"Yes father." The two boys walked inside with wicked smirks on their faces, immediately heading towards the final room at the top of the stairs. Oikawa's sharp footsteps on the gravel path grabbed Kenma's attention, a gaze falling over his back that sent chills up his spine. He turned to his stepfather, brown hair fell over his gold eyes that had shrunk in fear. Oikawa stood over him with a dark aura and a smirk that could scare any man to death. That's when Kenma new his life took a turn for the worst.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who knew someones life could change so quickly, but at least he wasn't completely alone.

"Put these on now! Me and my boys will want supper by seven and then you will move out of your room and into the attic." Several rags were thrown at the boys head, an old white shirt and brown slacks that were worn and large, off black shoes with soles on verge of collapsing and a white waist apron that had been stained yellow with age. "M-my room?" 

"Yes, I won't have a servant be living in one of my main bedrooms. I believe the boys are already helping you clean it out." Oikawa sneered, laughing when Kenma frantically ran into the manor. As he clambered up the stairs he could hear loud thumping and crashing from down the hall where his room was. Turning the corner he caught the sight of several books clattering into the hallway, wrinkling their pages as they landed upside down. Atsumu and Suguru were throwing and ripping his clothes and smaller trinkets all over the floor and into random baskets, some breaking or shattering completely. "No, please stop!" he cried, but Atstumu caught his waist so he couldn’t stop his brother from knocking over the entire book case.   
"Good you're finally here servant boy. This room is dirty and full of clutter, we decided that it needed to be cleaned. Starting with this!" Suguru cackled, smashing a wooden box of his smaller hand held puzzles to the ground and they scattered to the ground. They threw a few more things on the ground and ripped his clothes, all Kenma could do was watch as he struggled to keep his tears at bay. "Boys come along, you have to practice not mess with this- rat. You simply have better things to do, I'll deal with him."   
"Yes father."   
"And you, clean up this mess immediately and move it into the attic. Throw out anything broken, I will not have my house filled with this useless garbage." Oikawa sneered, “You have until the end of the day to pack everything up.” Then he slammed the door closed so hard it made the walls shake.

Kenma's knees gave out as he slid to the floor, trying to pick up all of his precious trinkets. But he could barely see through his glassy eyes, his once content life was crumbling around him. He was basically being kicked out of his own home and being forced to serve his cruel family. He didn't know what to do. He felt the grief and sadness he had pushed down after his father's death starting to bubble up, but he knew he couldn't. He knows Oikawa’s still outside his door, waiting to hear his cries. He had to stay strong like his mother had asked until she returned, because when she returned she could fix all this. 

Kenma wiped his tears and began gathering his puzzles and trinkets into large baskets, one for the broken and the other for the salvageable. Whatever wasn't broken he placed in the hall by the door to the attic. Most of his clothes were torn in half completely unsalvageable, only a single pair of pajamas, a few plain shirts and a long red jacket that used to be his father's. He had gotten it for a gift on his eighth birthday with the intention that he would one day grow into it. It was one of his favorites as a child even though his father didn't wear it often after it got too small for him, his father would just hang it on the inside of the wardrobe door, so Kenma could just sit and play with its red fabric. And also to his relief the sword and chess set were untouched, "Thank god." He took the sword from its mount on the wall and placed it in the hallway behind some boxes just in case his brothers came back. The rest of his belongings had to be dragged out to the curb to be trashed. 

He carried his six small boxes of his remaining belongings into the dusty attic. It was large but there were floorboards missing and the planks creaked under his feet threatening to snap with each step. The air was covered in a thick layer of dust that covered everything in the room in a thick layer. There was a small shuttered window latched shut above an old bed he recognized that used to be his when he was younger, he had outgrown it so they put it in the attic. Kenma spotted a blanket folded at the foot of the bed, picking it up to shake out the dust. A huge grey plumb went up his nose making him cough violently, quickly climbing over the bed to throw open the window latch. Thankfully a soft breeze quickly cleared the room of the floating dust and allowed its fading light to fill up the cluttered room. He had a bed and a mattress which was a small shine of light in his dark situation. He set his boxes by the foot of the bed, sliding his most precious things like his chest set and puzzles underneath and the sword on some nails he found in the wall. Taking a sheet to block it from sight just in case his stepfather came up. 

He collapsed on the small bed, laying on his back letting out a shaky sigh. "Papa, I wish you were still here. I know you said you'd be with me, I hope you are because I really don't want to be alone right now." 

"Kenma! Get down here and make us dinner!" 

"Mom, come home soon." He whispered to the empty attic, or at least he thought it was empty. 

Mreow!

He jumped at the sudden sound, whipping around when the noise was followed by several others. He saw a long silver tail disappear behind a stack of boxes, "Hello? Is there someone up here?" 

Meow! Meow! 

He turned to his bed to see a lanky silver cat sitting on his new bed, a smaller ginger cat about half of its side squashed under its paw. Two more cats popped out from behind the bed, one was black with a blonde stripe down its head and back that seemed fluffier than the rest of its fur, the other had dark brown hair that stuck up in random places. The smallest cat kicked the grey cat's stomach to release itself and hissed, the larger cat fell over dramatically. The two other cats almost seemed to giggle, hiding their mouths behind their paws and groomed them whale watching the grey cat dramatically wail. "Uh hello there, I don't remember cats living up here. Not that im complaining." He bent down to the cats with a sparkle in his eyes, cats were his favorite animal. He’d always wanted one but his father was allergic. That's why his mother would always call him kitten since when he was younger he would play cat around the house. 

The smallest cat licked some of its whiskers down then stuck out its paw, almost like it was asking to shake. Kenma awkwardly took the cats paw in between her pointer finger and thumb, giving it a little shake. The three other cats came up to do the same, the grey cat was still sulking until Kenma gave i'm a little pat on the head. "Uh, nice to meet you all. You don't have collars, are you strays?" He asked aloud, stroking his chin in thought. The word strays seemed to offend them; getting a small gurgling noise before they nodded. "Wait, you can understand what I'm saying?" Another nod. 

"Can you respond?" The ginger cat moved his paw in a 'so so' motion. "Well, at least I'll have someone to keep me company. I guess you'll need names huh?" 

"Kenma! Now!" 

"Maybe later." He muttered sadly and jogged down the stairs from the attic. Perhaps there was more light in the dark then he thought.


	5. Chapter 5

Kenma woke up to loud banging on the attic door and with an unpleasant knot in his back. The mattress was harder than a stone slab and the blanket was thinner than a sheet and barely covered past his knees. The sun hadn't even risen over the tree line leaving the sky a light purple. The loud banging continued forcing the boy to crack open his heavy eyes, "Wake up now and get downstairs! I wont have you sleeping in!" His stepfather's voice shrieked. His sharp footsteps disappeared down the stairs, Kenma let out a long sigh as he lifted himself from the bed. When his feet made contact with the floor they brushed against something furry, "Oh yeah, I forgot about you guys." The four cats raised their heads and the smaller ginger jumped up onto the bed and tried to push Kenma back on the bed. The brown haired cat followed but Kenma just lifted them away from his lap and placed them on the bed behind them. "I can't go back to sleep now. I'll be back later, you can sleep up here until i get back. I'll need to make you a proper bed later." He placed the other two cats onto the bed and covered them with the thin blanket before changing into his new attire. 

It was scratchy and hung loose on his thin frame, the pants were too large around the waist so he dug around to find a belt, meow! The black and blonde cat held a thin rope between its teeth. "Thank you." He took the rope stroking his head and scratching behind his ear. He tied the rope and slipped on the boots, grabbing his apron he opened the attic door. Walking down he was met with the angry looking of his stepfather at the bottom, "It's about time you got down here you lazy boy. You will no longer sleep in. You will be up by five every morning to start your chores and make us breakfast. If you don't you will have to go without breakfast."

"But-" Kenma held his tongue when the glare was sent his way, he whispered out a quiet "Yes sir." 

"Better, you will address me and my sons as such from now on. Breakfast will be ready by seven every morning and you will bring me a pot of tea in bed when I call for you. Our clothes should be out and ready, ironed and cleaned. You will then clean our rooms, change our sheets, do the laundry, dust and sweep every room spotless, and then you will polish the banister and floors of the foyer. Then you may have breakfast if you have the time before noon. After you're done all those things you will come see me. Do you understand?" 

"Yes sir." He went to walk to the kitchen but Oikawa tripped him with his foot, "You will bow when I give you an order and you do not leave until I dismiss you. You'd think you'd know that but you are stupid brat anyway." He walked up the stairs, signaling his precious dog to follow. The dog was the devil with the color to match, a bright red Doberman named Tendou that never stopped barking or howling at the brothers. He'd ripped one of Kenma's pants the first week they moved in. He swore that dog was out to get him when it gave him that wide eyed look. Like a smile that seemed a little too crazy.   
This is why he liked cats. They didn’t try to eat you like you were a piece of steak. 

He made his way to the kitchen, which was large with several wooden cabinets full of glasses, plates, silverware, and cooking utensils. There was a large chimney that held a large soup pot and a wood burning stove to the right and a sink to the left. It was already six thirty so he needed to make something quick to have it ready by seven- luckily for him he'd often helped his mother in the kitchen so he settled on some omelets. He pulled out a pan and placed it on the stove and some wood in the pit below. He then pulled out several eggs, peppers, pieces of ham, and mini potatoes. Chopping each into small pieces to throw in the eggs, cooking the potatoes and ham first then adding the eggs and peppers. Letting that cook he pulled out three plates and a basket of yesterday's bread. "Kenma! Hurry up! I’m hungry!" Suguru's voice whined loudly. "I'm coming."

He placed the warm food on the table and poured them some water and milk, avoiding the smug glances his step family was giving him. He poured Oikawa a cup of earl grey tea as he took a bite of the food, "This breakfast is barely satisfactory but I will let it go this once. We will have fresh bread in the morning and you will make sure there is plenty of food. Since both of my sons are strong and growing, they will require more than. . . This." 

"Yes sir." Kenma bowed his head and Oikawa dismissed him to start his chores. He went to Atsumu's room first which surprisingly was most clean aside from his sleeping clothes and blankets on the floor. So he placed them into a basket and moved onto his other stepbrother's room- which looked like a tornado had swept through his closet and all over the room. "You have got to be kidding me." Kenma groaned. It took him twenty minutes to just go through the clothes and hang them back up again. "Kenma! Come get these dishes!" 

"Kenma bring me my hair brush!" 

"And my sweets bag!" His brothers cried from the dining room. Kenma grabbed the brush and bag along with the laundry basket and headed back downstairs. He left the basket by the kitchen door and jogged into the dinning room, "It's about time you got here! I thought we were going to have to wait." Suguru took his sweets bag and started eating. Kenma apologized through his hair as he hurried to take the dishes away, stacking them together to take all at once. As he turned to leave he felt another foot hit his ankles, the dishes fell with a deafening crash. Atsumu's foot retreated back under the table with an innocent look on his face. "You stupid brat! Look at what you've done! You can't even walk properly without messing something up. As punishment you are not to have breakfast and I'm thinking about supper if you make any more mistakes." 

"B- yes sir. I'm sorry." 

"Clean up this mess now! We're heading into town for the day. To add to your list polish all the gold and silver, weed the garden, clean our swords, and have supper ready when we return." Oikawa stood and gestured for his boys to follow. "If everything I asked is not done you will not have any supper. Am I clear servant boy?' 

"Yes sir. I understand." Kenma bowed his head so his stepfather couldn't see his tears. He couldn’t wish for his mother to come back any faster. He started picking up the larger shards, cutting his fingers a bit making his eyes water and tears finally fall. 

He hated his life and it had barely started, he'd never felt so alone in this giant house. Kuroo wouldn't be able to see him until he returned from his trip that his father had sent him on for the shop. 

Meow! Four bodies rubbed up against him and under his hands. They rubbed their head into his stomach and the tall grey cat rubbed his face to rid Kenma of his tears. "Thank you. You better be careful with your wondering, Stepfather hates cats." The cats nodded and started moving the shards, the three smaller cats picked up shards carefully with their teeth while the large cat swept the smaller shards with his puffed out tail into the dust pan. 

Maybe he wasn't so alone after all. So he finally got to giving his new friends names as they dumped the shards into the trash. 

The smallest ginger cat was named Yaku. 

The black cat with the blonde stripe was named Yamamoto. 

The spiky brown haired cat was named Inuoka

The large silver cat was named Lev.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo does not approve of this situation.

A week had passed since his new routine began, getting up before dawn and going to bed near midnight. He could practically feel the eyebags growing under his eyes by the day. His hands were aching with new blisters showing up everytime he polished the banister and the dozen silver candelabras around the house. Cuts covered his fingers from the thorns of the weeds and rose bushes, most of the digits had been wrapped after he bled for a third time. Arms burned from the constant sweeping and scrubbing of the large foyer, where his stepfamily would kick off all the dirt and mud from their shoes everytime they walked through. The shoes he was given had already collapsed by the second day requiring him to dig around in the attic all night just to find another pair that he could barely fit into. The amount of times his shoe had fallen off on the stairs was ridiculous, how did women not lose their heels like this more often? And their shoes actually fit! 

Maybe he was just going crazy with all the lack of sleep, he needed a nap and maybe some food. But he swears the crows that flew around the house were watching him. 

His new friends had been helping out as much as they could, helping him get dressed by dragging his boots and apron over to him. Rolling potatoes and onions into the pot to help start the soup, even adding other greens they pulled from the gardens. Lev's fluffy tail did well for dusting and sweeping, the only downside was that he needed his tail brushed and cleaned everyday. But Kenma was fine with cleaning them and sharing some of his food since they kept him sane. He'd also built them a bed from a big wicker basket and his remaining clothes from his room. Although Lev often slept at his feet since he was so big and took up so much room.

Luckily today hadn’t been as hot like the afternoon before, the sun was perfectly balanced with a cool breeze. He was doing some laundry outside hanging white sheets on the clothesline while the cats ran around the yard stretching their poor legs or sunbathed next to his feet. He was enjoying his moment of silence when he heard a loud knock on the door. "Hello? Kenma?! Hello? Are you home?" It was Kuroo, he had finally come back from his trip. He moved aside the sheets about to call out to him but the door opened first. Oikawa looked up at Kuroo- since the boy was taller than him- and frowned. "What do you want peasant?" 

"Peasant? That's just rude." 

"Well compared to me that's what you are a watchmaker's child. Now what do you want?" He sneered. Kuroo raised an eyebrow in surprise, while Oikawa was always rude he was always worse whenever Kenma's mother wasn’t around. "I'm here to see Kenma, you know, my friend who lives here."

"I'm so sorry but he's busy with his chores, he doesn't have time to goof around with you anymore. Either be helpful or leave my home immediately. Good day." The door then slammed in his shocked face. He stepped away from the door and looked around, spotting Kenma waving to him from behind a white sheet. As Kuroo ran over he took in Kenma's outfit and the bags under his eyes. "What did they do?" 

"I'm earning my keep it seems." Kenma responded quietly, hanging up another sheet avoiding his best friend's eyes. "They turned you into a servant, in your own house! No way, i'm going back up there and-" Kenma grabbed his sleeve. Eyes pleading for Kuroo to stay, to not say anything. Before Kuroo could say anything they heard galloping down the road, two men rode on pristine white horses. They were dressed in fine clothes, the first boy had black hair and an irritated scowl on his face. He wore an outfit similar to a page, the blue tunic with gold embroidery, brown trousers, heavy leather boots, and a brown messenger hat with an orange feather all fit him well. The other was a taller man with long brown hair pulled into a bun and a small beard on his chin, he wore a soldier's uniform with a large sword on his back. It was an orange tunic with the kingdom insignia of a crow on the front, and a white long sleeve shirt underneath along with a chain link cover, black pants, tall knee length blue boots with silver armour, and bright yellow gloves. 

They stopped in front of the two boys and the first boy spoke, "Have you seen anyone run passed here recently?" The guard asked, coming up to the fence, Kenma feeling intimidated sunk into his hair nervously. 

"No sirs we haven't. Is someone in trouble?" Kuroo asked. The soldier gave a nervous smile and shook his head, "No no nothing like that. We're just looking for someone. Thanks for the help anyway. Have a nice day gentlemen." The two men bowed their heads and rode off. "Who do you think they're looking for?" 

"Maybe they're looking for the prince. I heard he tries to escape the palace sometimes." 

"Maybe. But I doubt a prince would want to come out here when he has everything he'd ever want in his castle." Kenma continued to hang up laundry, Kuroo giving him a hand since he could reach the line without the stool. "How long has your mom been gone? And how long until she gets back?" 

"She left last week, she should be back soon. Grandma Lee got sick so she went to go check on her." 

"Why didn't you come to my house? Why are you staying here and being forced to work?" Kenma paused for a moment. Kuroo did have a point, he could have just gone to Kuroo's house and waited until his mom came back. When he was young he’d stay at the Kuroo’s when his parents went on their business trips. "Because if I did then they would have basically blown up the house. Or try and destroy the rest of my stu-" Kenma cursed to himself for letting that particular detail slip, immediately covering his mouth before he said anymore. He could feel the anger radiating off of Kuroo as the taller boy stared down at the boy with a piercing gaze. He only ever used it if he knew Kenma was hiding something from him, it was the one look of Kuroo’s he wasn't immune to. "They destroy some of your stuff? They didn't get your dad's sword did they? I know how much that means to you." 

"No, thankfully it was spared, i don't think they even noticed it during their rampage. But most of my clothes were destroyed and I live in the attic now." He hated how he couldn't lie to Kuroo. No matter how hard he tried he could never do it. Kuroo tried to convince Kenma to come back to his house so they could send a letter to his mother or at least get away from his stepfamily until she returned. But Kenma refused. He wouldn't let his childhood home be ruined by these poisonous people and he couldn't just leave it. No matter how much they degraded him or hurt him, he made a promise to his mother and he was going to keep it. "Fine, but if they go too far I'll handle them myself. And I'll give you a hand around the house when I can. Papa's been having me get more involved with the business."

"That's wonderful. You are really good, that pocketwatch you made me for my birthday last year was nice." His family were watchmakers, the best in the city- kingdom probably. That's how their families were friends, Kenma's father used to take some of their watches to sell when he went on his trips. He never came back with a single watch, they always sold well. And funnily enough their fathers were also childhood friends. "Yeah, but he keeps sending me on these small trips to get parts so i can get to know my future suppliers. So I'm not going to be around to watch you."   
"I'll be alright. I've made some new friends to keep me company." This caused Kuroo to look at Kenma surprised, "You? Make friends on your own terms? Should I be worried?" 

"Unless you're going to get jealous of some cats that live in the attic now, then no you have no reason to worry." 

"Cats? Just how many are we talking here?" 

"Well. . ." Before Kenma can even respond the four cats come and sit like perfect soldiers at his feet. Kuroo made some new cat friends that day too, once Kenma had his back turned Kuroo kneeled down to the cats and whispered. “I need you guys to keep an eye on him for me, and come and get me if he ever needs anything. Got it? I mean it to, he’s bad at asking for help when he needs it.” The four cats gave him a little nod and returned to grooming themselves when Kenma returned with the empty basket.


End file.
